Card-index system.



No. 7l5,799.

Patented Dec. I6, I. B. HENDRICKSON.

CARD INDEX SYSTEM.

Applica' ion fiied Apr. 29. 1902.,

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(No Model.)

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Application filefi Apr. 29, 1902..

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ISAAC B. HENDRIOKSON, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO HENRIETTA VETTER, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

CARD-INDEX SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming'part of Letters Patent No. 715,799, dated December 16, 1902.

Application filed April 29, 1902. Serial No. 105.159. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be'it known that I, ISAAC B. HENDRIOKSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Oard-Index System, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a card-index system by means of which the cards can be classifiedin two directions, one in a direction reading from the front to the rear of the drawer and the other in a direction transversely of the direction of such firstnamed classification, with such second classification efiected by means of movable indicators, whereby any one index-card may be readily changed from any one to anyother classification in one or both of such directions.

In carrying out my invention I provide, in connection with a series of cards which have characters thereon indicating different subclasses, aseries of movable indicators which may beset opposite any desired one or both of such series of characters formed upon the card of such a character that they may be readily removed and placed opposite any other one of either one of such series of characters on such card and then again still later moved to still further characters or to the first-mening out of any one of such characters stand ing for one of such classifications or subclassifications. I

By means of my system cards may be indexed in two different classifications at the same time, and it is immaterial what these One may relate to time and the other relate to'alphabetical or other basis of classification. By my system I am able to make use of three systems of classification in the same tray or drawer when desired. p The accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, are as follows:

Figure 1 is a view of one form of card adapted to use in my invention with the indicatingv clips or pointers used in connection therewith. Fig. 2 is a similar View of a second.

form of card. Fig. 3 is a top view of a tray or drawer filled with the above cards. Figs. 4 and 5 are front and side views, respectively, of one of the pointers used with my cards; and Figs. 6 and 7 are front and side views, respectively, of one of the double tab-clips used to support any desired tab upon one of the cards Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In carrying out my invention I prefer to make use of cards which for any given classification or system of classification are practically all alike, and upon the first one of such cards in any classification I prefer to place a double or tab clip, in the'upper portion of which I locate a slip of cardboard or other similar material having a character thereon. standing for a classification, and of course for that classification in which are contained all the cards between this one just mentioned and the next card of a similar character but bearing. a difierent classification character in the double clip thereon.

These double clips may be preferably located at or near the left-hand upper corner of the card, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. If for any reason it is desired to displace this double clip and the character carried on the upper end thereof, it may be located, as indi- I cated in Fig. 2. The purpose of these cards then is to divide the cards in the tray into classifications longitudinally of the tray.

These cards, as already indicated, may be. exactly like any of the other cards in the} classification, and the will of course carry only the character in icated beginning with each successive class throughout the drawer. For that reason the cards will bear no memoranda or names of any parties calculated to constitute them regular index-cards having specific memorandaor indications thereon.

Referring-to Figs. 1, 4, 5,6, and 7, the card 0, which without the pointer t and tab b'may directly below some one of the figures in the row of figures above it. This card 0 may be filled in, as indicated, with the name and address of an inquirer, the file number given him, catalogue sent him, and source of inquiry, or any other data that may be useful to the business concerned. It is here assumed that the catalogues and advertising means are keyed and that 02-13 represents the particular medium causing the inquiry and D the particular catalogue sent in reply, together with form letter A on March 10. At the same time it is deemed wise, we will say, to write this same inquirer again on March 20, and a white or nickeled pointer t is placed upon March and a dark or blued pointer (l is placed upon 20. On March 20 the desired letter is written and the appropriate memorandum entered in writing upon the card 0 and pointers t and d are moved to the next date say May 5-upon which it is thought wise to write another letter, such pointers then located as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1 at t and d. It will be seen that an indication for a next action may be set on any day ofany month for oneyearfrom the current date without the possibility of confusion. Thus it will be seen that by the use of my system the same card can be used for several years in succession and that the card is never in any way mutilated or the classification indications thereon, so as-to prevent the use of the card repeatedly in a recurring series for the same date of any other month or for the same month of thenext succeeding year. When the space for memoranda upon the card has been-,exhausted, another exactly similar card may be put immediately behind it and the memoranda continued thereon; but pointers need not be used on such subsequent cards as any cards without pointers back of any pointer or pointers on any indexcard and in frontof the next pointers on a succeeding card all belong to or go with the card in front of them. The pointers t and (I may be used, of course, on all of the indexcards in the tray except those cards which are to be left blank and used as classification cards or those cards used for continuation of memoranda, as explained.

The construction of the pointers tand d, as well as the clips t will readily be understood from Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7. The pointer t has punched from its body the narrow strip i which makes an opening through pointer t to show the indication upon which it is set and at the same time forms a spring which presses upon the back of the card and holds the pointerfirmly thereon. The clip 23 is similarly made, excepting that it has two springs i and i one on either end, one to hold the clip upon the card, the other to hold any desired tab inplace. Clips d are similar to clips t, as seen, except that they are blued, while clips 75 are nickeled.

In Fig. 2 is seen a modified form of-card, diifering somewhat from that shown in Fig. 1.

The card 0 has near its upper edge a row of figures, 1 to 31, inclusive, and directly beneath these figures a row of letters, A'to Z,'inclusive. Alight pointer 25 is used to indicate some one particular letter, and a dark pointer 01 is used to indicate some one number. This card may be used in connection with a definite system for following up inquiries, such that theletters referred to indicate the dilferent steps of that system, the various form-letters used, catalogues, circulars, &c. The figures indicate the days of the month, and hence pointer 01 shows when the next letter is to be written, and pointert shows the nature of a communication sent or to be sent, as desired, thus showing how far the regular system has been used in the last letter. This card is of use in cases where a large proportion of the inquiries coming in are capable of being readily handled by the same routine of correspondence and in which the next communication is to be sent within one mon th from the date of-the last one. In using the style of card shown in Fig. 2 the clip 25", carrying tab b, may be used on one of the regular index-cards and such card left blank, as already described in reference to Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows a complete tray or drawer T of cards 0 c, with tabs 1), all at the 'upper lef hand corners, and with pointers fixed to the different cards as desired. The arrangement of the classifications shown is, first,"by means of the tabs 3) an alphabetical one, which may be used in the usual way, and, second, by means of the pointers, as shown in Fig. 1, a separate classification is secured in a direction at right angles to the first, such second classification being one of time. By using the cards shown in Fig. 2 two cross classifications may be secured in this same direction, which would then be indicated by the pointers t and d. If the day and month to be indicated are one above the other or if the day and step in the system are above one another, one pointer suffices to make the two indications.

It will be noticed that there is a row of short marks on the upper edge of the cards shown right over the figures of the upper row. These marks combine, when the cards are tilted back a little away from the front of the tray or drawer T, to form series of lines across the tops of the cards, as seen in Fig. 3, to facilitate the selection of the cards of a certain one of the subclasses across the tray or drawer.

I desire to call attention especially to the fact that while for the purpose of explaining my invention and illustrating it I have made use of the terms classification and subclassifications the term subclassification does not indicate necessarily a' classification of lesser importance, as the classification in point of time by months and days may be even more important, perhaps, than the classification alphabetically by means of the cards carrying the removable tabs. I desire also to call attention to another one of the very many uses to which my invention may be put namely, the cataloguing of a vast number of objects-such, for instance, as patents in the Patent Office into, say, divisions, classes, and subclasses. In this use of my invention each card would have the name, date, number, and title of a patent written thereon. The patent might naturally be classified under two or more divisions, perhaps, as a reference, It might have received examination in some instances in two or more divisions, or it might naturally'fall in two or more classes and subclasses as they are now arranged. In using my inventionin so cataloguing the patents the desired number of cards will be filled out alike with the title, date, and number of the patent and the name of the patentee, and then the movable pointers will be put on-one to indicate the class and the other to indicatethe subclass--and the cards then put into the proper divisions, and the class and subclass would be indicated by the movable pointers. If at any time, as the result of a reclassification, the patent is to be transferred from one division, class, or subclass to another, this is readily done by merely changing the movable pointers. The cards are not changed, but may bear permanent'records, which it is not necessary to mutilate or modify in making any such changes in the classification. This use of my invention would constitute, of course,

only a card-catalogue of all the issued patents.

What I claim is- 1. In a card-index system, a tray containing a series of cards, such cards divided into classes in one direction across the tray by means of cards carrying classification characters, the cards in each class having common characteristics and bearing characters indicating difierent subclassifications, such classification characters, all the cards between any two cards carrying classification characters belongingto a single common class 'or division and therefore having some characteristic in common, the cards in such classes hearing also a series of characters arranged in rows transversely of the drawer or tray containing such cards,'and movable pointers for indicating the characters designating the dilferent cards in each class as falling additionally in some one of several subclasses.

3. In a card-index system, a drawer or tray containing a series of cards divided longitudinally of the drawer or tray into classes, such classes indicated by a series of cards bearing classification characters, all the cards between any two cards carrying classification characters belonging to a single common class or division and therefore having some characteristic in common, the cards in such classes bearing also two series of characters arranged in rows transversely of the drawer or tray containing such cards, and movable pointers having diifei'ent'characters for indicating the characters designating the difierent cards in each class as falling in each of suchtwo subclasses.

ISAAC B. HENDRIOKSON. I

Witnesses: v

E. A. MARSH, ETHA M. SMITH.

45 classes indicated by a series of cards bearing 

